The tranquil, little-visited Wanshou Temple (万寿寺, Wànshòu Sì; 121 Wanshousi Lu, 万寿寺路121号) was originally consecrated for the storage of Buddhist texts in 1577. Its name echoes the Summer Palace’s Longevity Hill (wànshòu means "longevity") and the imperial entourage would stop here to quaff tea en route to and from the palace.
Wanshou Temple was one of dozens that once lined the canal route from the western edge of the Imperial City walls (at Xizhimen) to the Summer Palace. The temple fell into disrepair after the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1912, with the Wanshou Hall burning down. Things went from bad to worse, and during the Cultural Revolution, the temple served as an army barracks. Today, it's more museum than temple, with some excellent displays of antiques.
The highlight of a visit here is the prized collection of bronze Buddhist statuary, located in the second courtyard, presenting Chinese depictions of the Buddha in one side hall and Tibetan figures in the wing opposite. Also worth checking out are the Buddhist stone and clay sculptures housed in the large unnamed central hall at the back of the second courtyard. There are four magnificent central pieces, plus a dozen or so arhats (Buddhist disciples) lining the flanks. The pavilion at the rear of the whole complex once housed a 5m-high gold-lacquered brass statue that's now long gone; in its place is a miniature Ming dynasty pagoda alloyed from gold, silver, zinc and lead.
In the two-story Wanshou Hall there's an excellent exhibit on the motif of longevity in painting, ceramics and woodcarving. This is followed by a display of calligraphy, ink stones and brushes.
The temple is west of the National Library subway station. It's closed on Mondays.